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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28883775">Tender Entrapment by the Brujah and the Ventrue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fortheoneatopthecity/pseuds/Fortheoneatopthecity'>Fortheoneatopthecity</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Lust, Politics and Somehow Love [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Sex, Angst, Cooking food done by Kindred with mixed results, Counter Sex, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Denial of Feelings, Double Penetration, Double Penetration in Two Holes, Established Relationship, Exhibitionism, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Food, Guilt, Kissing, Kitchen Sex, Kuei-jin, Kuei-jin OCs, Love Confessions without saying the L word, Multi, Naked Cuddling, Oral Sex, Pampering your girl after you and your boyfriend fucked her good, Political Alliances, Post-Coital Cuddling, Sensual Vampire bites, Threesome - F/M/M, Unusual uses for the Flesh Shintai, Vaginal Sex, Vampire Bites, Voyeurism, acceptance of feelings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:14:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,568</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28883775</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fortheoneatopthecity/pseuds/Fortheoneatopthecity</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Three weeks after Sebastian LaCroix and Ming Xiao agreed to include Nines Rodriguez into their alliance, their campaign for ridding Los Angeles of the Sabbat is going very smoothly, to the point that just one coordinated final assault would surely rid the city of the sect once and for all. But Ming Xiao has her doubts that it will truly be the end of the Sabbat, fearing that the sect might have something up its sleeve. However, that isn't her only pressing concern, as it's becoming apparent to her that her feelings for both LaCroix and Nines might be real, real enough for her not to be able to do her duty by the Kuei-jin...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sebastian LaCroix/Nines Rodriguez/Ming Xiao</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Lust, Politics and Somehow Love [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2062185</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tender Entrapment by the Brujah and the Ventrue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I just wanted to mention there some Kuei-jin OCs that appear in this fic, that were introduced in chapter seven of 'A Traitorous Affair' https://archiveofourown.org/works/21617743/chapters/55226872 &amp; here's some sketches of them https://missn11.tumblr.com/post/612148470395076608/so-since-im-likely-to-be-shortly-posting-the</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ming Xiao sighed under her breath with annoyance as her cell phone vibrated insistently in her dress pocket. It was likely Nines or Sebastian calling her again about preparations for later tonight. Normally this wouldn’t be a cause for irritation but having these slight interruptions during a meeting with her Wu to update them on the progress of their campaign against the Sabbat was untimely, even more so, since the urge to find a discrete way to read and answer the texts without her Wu knowing gnawed at her. But sadly, an opportune moment did not present itself, and to bring the meeting to a screeching halt just so she could view a few texts, the contents of which most likely were either silly questions, surprisingly compelling lewd sex texts or whatever ‘shocking’ sleazy location Nines wanted to have their rendez-vous at tonight, would make her look unprofessional at best.</p><p>So instead, Ming Xiao was forced to endure yet another vibration and a growing headache as she watched Dong and Tai passionately debate what their next move would be once the Sabbat had been driven out of Los Angeles. At least they were only upset at each other rather than her, as they had been before she and Sebastian had extended their pact to include Nines, which had turned out to be quite advantageous.</p><p>The Sabbat, for the past few weeks, had been taking quite the beating from all fronts. Officially, the Camarilla and the Anarchs had made a temporary alliance to wipe out the vile sect, and the Sabbat were also suffering from betrayal from within. Unofficially, Ming Xiao had sent her best agents to root out the Sabbat’s weaknesses, Sebastian had been subtly having their resources shut down or burned to the ground, and Nines had gotten the other Barons of the city to help lend their support and had been rallying the Anarchs for the upcoming final assault. It was going so perfectly that Ming Xiao was waiting for the other shoe to drop, as though their inevitable victory could be snatched out of their hands at any moment.</p><p>That had been the case when the Kuei-jin had first arrived in Los Angeles. They had struck so many blows against the Anarchs, driving Jeremy MacNeil out, and getting Salvador García and Louis Fortier to ally themselves with them, but then the rebellious Cainites had shown that they would not be so easily beaten down.</p><p>The war had dragged on until they were both forced to come to an uneasy truce. In a way, the arrival of both the Camarilla and the Sabbat had been a blessing of sorts, in that it had bought the Kuei-jin time. Time to regroup, to research their enemies and plot the downfall of the Cainites. Ming Xiao had given them even more time when she had made that pact with Sebastian, but her efforts had not been appreciated by most of her Wu in the least, and she hated to think how they would take the news of Nines joining the fold.</p><p><em>I’d probably have to suffer snide comments from Kalliyan about me letting myself be taken by both Sebastian and Nines at the same time in such a vulgar manner…</em> However, despite her frustrations at the possibility of an uproar at the nature of her ‘relationship’ with both of the Cainite leaders from her Wu if they found out the truth, the thought of being ravished in such a way by Sebastian and Nines did hold a level of appeal…</p><p>Perhaps it was all the constant work and strain Ming Xiao had been under to make this war against the Sabbat a success that had worn on her, but the idea of just being able to let go the mantle of Ancestor for a moment and enjoy herself without having to take charge felt like what she had been missing lately.</p><p>Usually, Ming Xiao loved to be the more dominant partner when it came to sex, especially with both Sebastian and Nines. Oh, the fun they had had this past month! The memory of having her two boys tied up and at her mercy, as they quivered in anticipation of what she was going to do to them, often had her press her thighs together. However, this new fantasy of them being in charge of her and yet driven to give her great pleasure had her zoning out of the meeting, not that it was an important one, the two ancient Kuei-jin after all going over the same old debate again…</p><p>But before Ming Xiao could come to her senses and remember that, despite the tiresome argument Dong and Tai were having, she should be listening, the two men turned to her with expectant looks. “Mistress Xiao, what do you think? Should we try to make peace with the Cainites when the Sabbat have been kicked out or-”</p><p>Tai cut off Dong by stating sharply, “Or, rather more sensibly, turn the Cainites against each other and slaughter the victors before they multiply themselves!”</p><p>Ming Xiao glanced off to the side, her expression quickly morphing into one of great consideration of their question, thankful that she hadn’t missed too much while lost in her brief imaginings. But regardless, even though she would have, in the past, agreed with Tai’s suggestion to have the Cainite factions turn on each other once the Sabbat had been taken care of, now she found herself feeling a slight hesitation at the idea.</p><p>Perhaps it was because Ming Xiao feared that their war against the Sabbat could yet have an unexpected turn. Or maybe it was the thought of eventually having to dispose of both Sebastian and Nines. But that was ludicrous, they were merely a means to an end, and her gaining pleasure from them an added bonus!</p><p>And yet, sexual pleasure hadn’t been all there was to their relationship. Nines had rather ingeniously started to form the building blocks to deepen his bond with her and Sebastian. It had begun small, the idea of making an alliance between the three of them, the incredible affection he had begun showing them without hesitation, as though he had completely let go all of his guilt at being with them. Ming Xiao was no fool, she knew what Nines was doing, making it seem that they had one over him by playing the steadily lovesick fool; she and Sebastian had been playing those games together for months. It wasn’t real, they would turn on each other the second the right opportunity appeared.</p><p>And yet, despite knowing that, Ming Xiao remembered those quiet moments when she and Sebastian had simply lain in each other’s arms in silence. No saccharin words had been exchanged to pretend that they were in love, instead they enjoyed being the balm to each other’s loneliness. Sometimes she had found herself confiding in Sebastian her nightly issues, nothing that could be used to truly damage her if he ever tried to employ the information against her, but it had been exposing a level of vulnerability she wasn’t used to displaying anymore. Every time Sebastian opened up about his nightly problems as the Prince of Los Angeles, she told herself that she was merely listening to file it away later to use to her advantage and that she did not relate to him at all.</p><p>Nor could she forget that one-night Nines had given Ming Xiao a cheap chocolate bar he had picked up at a gas station to make up for running so late and had seemed actually dismayed when she had scowled at it, and Sebastian had told him off, saying he should get her a more expensive one next time. The next night Nines had turned up at her Temple with a box of chocolates. It had surprised her that he would actually risk the possibility of being seen and having his secret alliance with them exposed. The incident had touched Ming Xiao in a way she wasn’t willing to admit. Despite his reputation for being an honest Kindred, he knew how to act the role of an earnest lover to her and Sebastian’s faces.</p><p>And yet there was enough evidence to indicate that it might not have been all for show, that Nines might be starting to have true feelings for the both of them. That left an uneasy sensation in Ming Xiao’s gut rather than elation over the fact the young Cainite had fallen into his own trap.</p><p>Yet the nagging feeling that she had actually grown to have affection for these Cainites was disquieting for Ming Xiao. It couldn’t be, as there was no place for them in her rule, their goals too different and their way of being too chaotic. Sebastian clearly wanted complete power and total domination over the city or possibly the world. Such a foolish, youthful dream, born from the desire to spite the society that had demeaned him. Nines wanted to keep the delusional dream of the Anarch Freestates alive for he knew nothing else beyond that.</p><p>
  <em>And yet if they could be convinced of the wisdom of the New Promise Mandarinate, there is hope that I don’t have to let them go…</em>
</p><p>But she couldn’t dwell on this for too much longer without having Tai and Dong notice that she was strangely conflicted. And yet she found herself unable to settle on an answer either, “Well, I think it’s too early yet, we do not know if the Sabbat will be so easily taken out, after all, they could call for reinforcements just before the planned final assault and snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat.”</p><p>Her dry and noncommittal answer clearly didn’t satisfy either Tai or Dong, but they made no comment on it, and everyone else in the meeting were quick to agree with her. Perhaps they had been wondering if this trouncing of the Sabbat was going too well, or rather was it the lingering dreadful presence of the Ankaran sarcophagus that had them wanting to be cautious?</p><p>Regardless, the meeting was quickly reaching its end. Wong Ho was becoming a problem with his outspokenness against the Tong, if they didn’t sort this out, the neighborhood could attempt to rise up and take back their streets, which wasn’t what they needed at this time, not until the city fully belonged in Kuei-jin hands.</p><p>Ming Xiao had been about to suggest that they have the Tong kidnap Wong Ho’s daughter to get him to back down, but felt a slight hesitation to do so, her words to Nines on that night they had included him in their pact replaying in her mind, <strong><em>“After all, taking care of the community has always been at the forefront of my Wu’s and Court’s intentions for Chinatown.”</em></strong> It hadn’t been merely words to assure Nines that she was on board with his plan for a better Los Angeles, she had meant it. Everything she did was for both the Kuei-jin and the community of Chinatown, but… there had to be sacrifices for the sake of winning the war against the Cainites.</p><p>At least that was how she had often justified it and now was left wondering if all that pain she, the Kuei-jin, and the Tong had caused had actually been necessary. If they had only struck a real agreement with the Anarchs sooner, all of this could have been avoided…</p><p>Ming Xiao quickly shook away the foolish and naive thought. Of course, there hadn’t been any chance that the Anarchs would have been willing to join forces with them to make Los Angeles a better place! They acted as though they were building something better when all they had was a Wild West style Kindred society, violence and gangs everywhere! They could have built something truly grand, proving that their cursed existence could be more than the Camarilla or the Sabbat had ever envisioned, but no, they had thrown it all away because they thought having a ‘leader’ would inevitably bring about corruption. Cowards, they could have risen again and taken care of the corruption as they did with Don Sebastian. They had been willing to do what was needed then all because Jeremy MacNeil had told them to, but the moment he had let go of the role of leadership for stupid and childish ‘noble reasons’ the Anarchs had quickly devolved into the chaotic mess they were today!</p><p><em>But is all of what I have done to the people of Chinatown truly justified? The pain we have caused will be difficult to heal and having Wong Ho’s daughter be taken hostage might not be enough to get him to back down, in fact it could rally the people of Chinatown even more and cause further problems. If that is the case, then I will need to have him killed.</em> If Wong Ho died, then Ming Xiao’s mortal charges would solely have her to look up to for advice and spiritual guidance, they would be under her complete control, but it felt wrong somehow. Silly, of course, they all would benefit from her guidance and wisdom, and yet the idea of gaining more influence with the people of Chinatown in that way had Ming Xiao briefly wonder if she wasn’t straying further and further from her Dharma, if she was risking falling far from her path again through her actions…</p><p>Tai coughed sharply, waking Ming Xiao from this troubled train of thought. “Mistress Xiao, you seem to be awfully distracted this evening. Is there something on your mind?” he ventured with a slight smirk.</p><p>Ming Xiao glared daggers at him for a second before collecting herself and replying, “My apologies, Jiang, I was merely considering our options in regard to Wong Ho.” She paused, watching Tai cock his eyebrow in disbelief, but thankfully he didn’t seem interested in accusing her of any lack of professionalism. She continued, addressing everyone at the table, “Well, for now we’ll lessen the Tong’s operations for the next few weeks, to allow our mortal charges to believe they have made a difference and then start-up operations again more subtly.” Glancing at everyone at the table, Ming Xiao watched the reactions her Wu had to her decision.</p><p>Dong was nodding in approval, though she could see in his eyes he would had preferred that the Tong’s operations were shut down permanently.</p><p>Yong grinned and elbowed Heng, who gave him an awkward smile in return. Kalliyan shrugged, acting as though the decision hadn’t bothered her at all, but it was very telling that unlike normal, she didn’t utter a single word of complaint.</p><p>But the abnormality didn’t end there, for Shufen didn’t overwhelmingly gush her approval of Ming Xiao’s decision as she would have done in the past, but instead just nodded, a neutral expression on her face. It left Ming Xiao wondering if she disapproved.</p><p>She shook off that strangely disturbing oddness and observed that Hui bowed her head and muttered her agreement with Ming Xiao’s plan to temporarily pull back the Tong.</p><p>Tai scrapped his nails on the table harshly. Ming Xiao could see that his nails had now become bone talons, and she snarled a little at the jagged scratch marks he was making. This seemed to please him for he gave her a brief wide-toothed grin, “Whatever you believe is best, Mistress. Perhaps you are right in that we should give the mortals in our community a little breather…”</p><p>Ming Xiao lifted her chin towards Tai, “Of course, we mustn’t push them too far. Now if there isn’t anything else that needs to be brought up, I would like to call this meeting adjourned.” Thankfully, no-one had anything else to add, and everyone quickly filed out of the meeting room.</p><p>Of course, all except Tai. Apparently, he had something to say to her in private. “Mistress Xiao, would you be so kind as to give me a moment of your time? I do have some concerns that I wish to discuss,” he asked, closing the door behind him.</p><p>“And these are concerns you could not bring up in front of the others?” Ming Xiao questioned, as she straightened her shoulders. She could already tell she was not going to like what Tai had to say.</p><p>“Well, it is rather personal, and I very much doubt that you would want the rest of our Wu to know that our latest successes against the Sabbat are to be partly attributed to your newfound relationship with both Prince LaCroix and Nines Rodriguez.” Tai’s lips quirked upwards at the way her body seized up in momentary shock.</p><p>Ming Xiao took a deep breath. “I see that you couldn’t for one moment not stick your nose into my business, Jiang,” she hissed at Tai, but sadly it merely seemed to amuse him, for his eyes brightened up. “And what of it? As you said yourself, my seductions have brought us great success without any losses on our part.” She then added before Tai could interrupt her, “But I am not attached to these Cainites, they are merely a means to an end. Once they have served their purpose then they can be disposed of.” Ming Xiao was glad she managed to not show her discomfort at the sudden tightening of her gut.</p><p>Tai clasped his hands together, his head slightly bent to the side, “I see, and you were truly not interested in Zhao’s foolhardy idea to make peace with the Cainites, then? Because I haven’t seen you so hesitant in your decision making in a number of centuries!”</p><p>Ming Xiao kept her gaze at Tai steady, “I was merely weighing all the options and came to the conclusion that we need to make sure that the Sabbat won’t somehow gain their second wind.”</p><p>“Of course, it pays to be cautious at times, but I fear that your concern about the Sabbat is just an excuse to not have to deal with the possibility that you’ll have to put down your Cainite lovers…” Tai stated with a lifted chin, his eyes full of challenge.</p><p>“As I have already explained-”</p><p>“Oh yes, you have explained quite a few of your absences these past couple of months, and to be honest, I knew that there was something wrong when you were only spending many of your nights with Prince LaCroix,” Tai cut in, as he took a couple of steps towards Ming Xiao. She resisted again the urge to snap at him, she would not give him the emotional outburst he wanted from her, although it was difficult when he continued, “It’s lonely at the top, isn’t it? Everyone demands so much from you and condemns you when you cannot fulfil their ever-increasing expectations of you. Is that what draws you to LaCroix? After all, no-one can understand better than another fellow ruler.”</p><p>Ming Xiao’s lips pressed together in a tight, thin line. She despised the feeling that Tai might be right in his assessment of how she and Sebastian had come together. After all, it was meant to be that she was exploiting his weakness, not her falling into her own trap in the progress. “And what is supposed to have drawn me to Rodriguez, then?”</p><p>Tai chuckled, “Well, I’ve known, despite your disciplined demeanour, you’ve always had a fondness for rebels. Remember that student communist from the Hong Kong university back in 1939? Or that-”</p><p>“Finish that sentence, Jiang, and I will tear you from limb to limb and feed you to maggots!” Ming Xiao growled, gripping the front of Tai’s changshan, only letting go when she saw past her anger that he was smiling again. Like a fool, she had lost herself and proved him right.</p><p>He smoothed the front of his changshan, taking a few steps back, “I see that the very brief mention of your past rebellious lovers still affects you. It’s the Thrashing Dragon within you, even after you let go of that Dharma, the desire to experience everything and subvert society in all its oppressive whims still lingers. You want to be near that even if it cannot come from you anymore!”</p><p>She shook her head, shouting, “I do not wish to be psychoanalysed by you any longer nor do I need you questioning my capability to do what is needed!” Ming Xiao then pushed pass Tai, making her way towards the door but halted when she realised, again she had lost control. She turned back to face him, seeing a hint of something in his eyes, concern or weariness? Either one felt alien to her. “You don’t have to be so concerned, everything I have ever done is for the Kuei-jin and our mortal charges, nothing more, nothing less. Once the Sabbat have truly fallen, the sarcophagus found and disposed of, I will have Rodriguez and LaCroix destroy each other as you’ve suggested.”</p><p>Ming Xiao couldn’t tell if she had placated Tai’s doubts about her willingness to get rid of both Sebastian and Nines once the time came, as his face became unreadable. Truthfully, she was even slightly beginning to question herself on the matter, but she would never let him on that.</p><p>Despite the fact she had previously put her hands on him in anger, or because of it, Tai stepped towards her again. “Mistress Xiao, answer me this, would you, before we turn the Cainites against each other, try to teach both LaCroix and Rodriguez our ways, so they can become more than the lost and cursed fools they are? Are you willing to risk everything for that hope?”</p><p>Her hand lessened its grip on the door handle, “I will attempt it, but if they don’t wish to enlighten their existence then I will simply have to put them out of their misery.” Ming Xiao’s gut tightened again, but this time she also felt a brief wave of nausea. “Heaven, Hell or wherever these Cainites go when they reach their final death, will sort them out…”</p><p>At last Tai seemed satisfied with her answer, though she couldn’t be sure if it was because he believed her or noticed and enjoyed her sudden discomfort. “I see, well, I now understand that you are committed. My apologies Mistress Xiao. I’ll trouble you no more tonight, have a pleasant rest of your evening.”</p><p>Ming Xiao quietly thanked him before exiting the meeting room, the nausea not easing until she was alone in her chambers. Sitting on her bed, she pulled out her cellphone and read through each of the messages. It turned out there was only one from Sebastian, who was giving her the location of a cabin in a wooded area not too far from Los Angeles. The other texts from her newest double agent, Sebastian’s very own adoptive Childe, were of much graver news. The Fledgling had found out who knew where the sarcophagus was, but there was a catch. Gary Golden, the Nosferatu primogen, wanted the return of an agent of his that had gone missing in Chinatown…</p><p> </p><p>The ‘cabin’ that Sebastian had chosen for the night was a modern style villa. It had sleek, white stone walls, a large swimming pool, an outdoors lounging area and large glass windows, enabling anyone who came across the secluded area to peer at the goings-on in the boringly decorated rooms.</p><p>And considering what was about to happen tonight between the three of them, it would be a peeping Tom’s treat! Well, it would be, until he was caught and feasted upon by the monsters that he was mistakenly assuming were innocent victims of his voyeurism. Though, not to say he would be devoured necessarily, no need to make such a mess. After all, they were all here for fun. Ming Xiao could only hope that LaCroix and Nines didn’t have any political issues that they wished to discuss, as she had had her fill for the evening.</p><p>However, from the smell of burning and the sounds of Nines and Sebastian bickering, Ming Xiao could tell that she would have to deal with more problems before she could fully relax tonight. If it’s not one thing, it’s another… Ming Xiao thought with a huff, before she made her way around the villa to the source of the burning scent, and instantly found Nines and Sebastian yelling at each other by a smoking barbecue grill.</p><p>“I told you that adding more oil was going to make the flames worse!” Sebastian shrieked, jabbing his finger on Nines’ naked and hairy chest.</p><p>“It’s supposed to make the flames bigger, that’s how you get that chargrilled flavour. It would’ve been fine if you hadn’t tried to snatch the bottle of oil out of my hand!” Nines growled, shoving a nearly empty squeezy bottle in the Ventrue’s face, “But no, you had to grab it from me, and by doing that, the oil went everywhere and caused the fire to explode!”</p><p>Sebastian slapped the squeezy bottle of out Nines’ hand. “I distinctly recall that the flames only got worse when you had the bright idea to throw pool water on an oil fire!”</p><p>“I fucking panicked, okay!”</p><p>Ming Xiao sighed heavily and clapped her hands to get the two Cainites’ attention, she was not in the mood to let them get into a yelling match tonight. “I would very much appreciate it, if you would cease your attempts to give me a migraine and explain why were you two were cooking-” she glanced down at the extremely charred remains of what resembled a ribeye, “a steak…?”</p><p>“It was meant for you,” Nines said quietly as he gazed down at the burnt steak with a sheepish grin.</p><p>“For me?” Ming Xiao repeated, feeling her mind suddenly go blank.</p><p>Sebastian bit his lip and crossed his arms, “Yes, it was meant to be part of a three-course meal we were going to serve you when you arrived, but-”</p><p>“But then you had to get oil all over-”</p><p>“It wouldn’t have happened if you’d just let me take the bottle-”</p><p>“That’s enough, I’ve told you before that I wanted you both to stop your bickering!” Ming Xiao snapped at them and then took a deep breath, “How about you tell me what you have for the starter and dessert?”</p><p>Nines looked like he wanted to say something snide again, but Ming Xiao giving him a sharp glare had him holding his hands up. “Alright, alright, I won’t be a dick to Baby Carrot, even if he can’t cook anything without burning it!”</p><p>Sebastian pouted, “That’s not true, I was able to bake the pastry of the tart just fine!”</p><p>“Tell that to the three batches of croutons that are in the garbage!” Nines pointed out, elbowing Sebastian who then scowled at him.</p><p>“Well, if you hadn’t kept distracting me by your constant carnal touches, they would have been perfect!” Sebastian grumbled as he shoved Nines, though the Brujah, who was laughing heartily, wasn’t even pushed back an inch.</p><p>Nines slung an arm around Sebastian’s neck and pulled him close. “Oh really? You’re saying that wrapping my arms around you and kissing you on the cheek was the reason they got burnt. Are you sure it wasn’t you shoving me against the countertop and the French kissing that distracted you?”</p><p>“You whispered in my ear that you wanted to take me on the kitchen counter, and that the croutons would be ‘fine’, but clearly you wanted to sabotage me!” Sebastian cried out dramatically.</p><p>Ming Xiao chuckled, “Is that really true, Nines? That you whispered such temptations in Sebastian’s ear to have him fail to impress me with the starter?”</p><p>“Christ there wasn’t any sabotage! I had only meant for us to fool around after the cooking was done. But you know Baby Carrot, he’s always horny!” Nines answered with a laugh and pressed a kiss on Sebastian’s cheek, who just sulked in return.</p><p>“I am not always in a constant state of arousal!” Sebastian cried out defensively, “And besides, we are rapidly getting off-topic. I believe Ming Xiao would like to know what we are going to serve her this evening!”</p><p>“Yes, I’m very curious what’s on the menu, I do appreciate that you both decided to cook for me,” Ming Xiao said. The feelings of surprise that Nines and Sebastian had even gone to the trouble of making a meal for her especially, still lingered.</p><p>It was silly really, either they were attempting to convince her that they were in love with her or they really were. She had the impression that Nines and Sebastian held true affection for her or otherwise they wouldn’t have been bickering like children over the mess-ups they had made, but regardless, Ming Xiao couldn’t deny she felt touched by this apparent thoughtfulness displayed by them.</p><p>Both Nines and Sebastian smiled widely as they went over to Ming Xiao, taking her by the hand and leading her inside the villa. “Come, ma chérie, I do think that the Caesar salad and the chocolate tart should be ready by now,” Sebastian said, his lips pressing gently on Ming Xiao’s cheek. She couldn’t help but give a little grin.</p><p>The inside of the villa was as boringly decorated as she had expected, all the walls were of an off-white colour, with a couple of token modern art paintings, and the furniture was so lacking in both character and colour that it was almost camouflaged. The kitchen was a little better, if only due to the steel kitchen appliances adding some colour. The chocolate mixture stains and the flour coating nearly everything in sight also helped, even if it was terribly messy. What stood out to Ming Xiao especially was the dusting of flour on one of the counter tops which had an imprint distinctly the shape of Nines’ backside.</p><p>Sebastian laughed nervously as he took in the state of the kitchen. “Our apologies for the dreadful mess, ma chérie, it is our first time cooking in a very long time and we…um-”</p><p>“Didn’t think to clean up along the way? I can see that.” Ming Xiao sat on the kitchen stool and was pushed in by Nines, the simple gesture making her feel attended to.</p><p>Nines’ strong and rough hands lightly massaging her shoulders was also nice. “Good point, Ming. Hey Baby Carrot, why don’t you clean up while I serve Ming Xiao the Caesar salad and the sides we had planned for the steak?”</p><p>The Ventrue pulled a face, “Why do I have to do the cleaning? I’m quite capable of serving the food myself, thank you very much!”</p><p>“Because you were the one who made the mess in the first place.”</p><p>“Point made,” Sebastian agreed with a sigh and then wetted a tea-towel and got to work wiping the spilled flour and chocolate-stained counters.</p><p>Ming Xiao found herself closing her eyes and leaning her head back against Nines’ chest as he massaged her shoulders. She hadn’t realised how much she needed this. “Mmm… this is awfully nice… Who taught you how to massage so effectively?” she asked, while sensually stroking her fingers up along Nines’ well-muscled thighs.</p><p>Nines pulled down the straps of her dress, his hands hot against her own warm skin, his head bent down close to hers. “Just something I picked up from an ex, she’d massage her prey before sinking her fangs into them. Always found that kind of scummy… but,” his lips gently brushed against Ming Xiao’s ear, and she let out a sigh as he continued in a whisper, “At least I have a way to help relax your tense shoulders…”</p><p>Her fingers travelled up to his hips as Nines kissed down her jawline and towards her neck, the very points of his fangs grazing gently where her artery was. “But I’m getting the feeling that massage alone isn’t going to cut it…” Arousal pooled within Ming Xiao, her lips parting open to let out a breath and her nipples hardening as Nines’ hands grasped onto her breasts. Her gaze flickered towards Sebastian, who was watching them with great interest as he constantly cleaned the same spot.</p><p>Ming Xiao’s fingers finally found the zipper of Nines’ jeans and slowly tugged it down. He laughed softly and began to tease the points of her still-clothed nipples. That caused her to gasp more harshly and widen her legs. More sensual arousal hit when she realised that Nines only had to lift up her skirt and take off her panties to fully expose her sex for Sebastian’s viewing pleasure.</p><p>And pleased Sebastian did indeed look, as he was no longer putting up the pretence of cleaning the counter tops and had thrown the wash-cloth aside to grasp the front of his trousers. That his icy blue eyes filled with such desire while she was still in her mostly modest state had Ming Xiao shiver with excitement. Whilst she knew how passionate he could get when he saw her like this, it didn’t stop the enjoyment she gained from driving him wild.</p><p>Reaching around behind her, Ming Xiao managed to find and grip onto Nines’ rapidly hardening cock. He growled in her ear, “Damn, and here I thought you were hungry for the food we made you but if you wanna do this first, that’s good in my book. You want Baby Carrot involved now or for him to watch us for a bit?”</p><p>She didn’t have to think about it for even a moment, she knew what she wanted so desperately, “I want both of you to ravish me, I’m much too-” Ming Xiao paused, feeling that she shouldn’t show true vulnerability in front of both Nines and Sebastian, but at the same time, she was just tired of hiding her weariness from them, it felt wrong somehow. Obviously, it was because she would be able to better manipulate them by showing a little weakness every now and again. “I’m too tired to be in charge tonight, I want you two to take care of me.”</p><p>Sebastian slowly made his way towards Ming Xiao, his eyes burning with hunger. Clearly he was completely on board with being dominant over her for once. She smiled at him and closed her eyes as she felt Nines’ fingers trace her jawline, tipping her chin up and kissing her. Slim fingers stroked her knees, gently pushing her legs further apart, and rubbed her through the fabric of her panties, revealing how wet she was.</p><p>The fact of how wet she was earned her a pleased chuckle from Sebastian. “And I do believe we would be honoured to take care of you, ma chérie,” he murmured lustfully, two of his fingers teasing and rubbing her quickly hardening clothed clit.</p><p>Ming Xiao moaned against Nines’ mouth at the sensations Sebastian’s fingers were giving her. She began to gently jerk Nines’ cock, he gasping and nibbling her lips tenderly. “More,” he breathed before flicking his tongue out to meet hers.</p><p>She squeezed his cock a little tighter, pumping it at a rougher pace, exactly how he liked it, and licked against his tongue between lightly biting his lip. The nights of drawing blood from each other’s lips seemed to be a distant memory as neither Nines nor Ming Xiao seemed to be willing to hurt the other as much anymore.</p><p>Nines’ free hand continued to grasp and massage Ming Xiao’s breasts before then tugging down the front of her dress, exposing more of her flesh. She moaned again at the sensational feel of Nines’ hands touching her bare breasts and Sebastian’s fingers caressing her inner thighs. The Ventrue then latched onto the hem of her panties and started to slowly pull them down, pressing kisses on every bit of skin that was revealed.</p><p>Squirming with pleasure from being so wonderfully and horribly teased like this, Ming Xiao pulled away from Nines’ lips and took out her hair-pins, letting them drop to the floor, her hair falling down loose. She grabbed onto Sebastian’s hair, pressing his face more into her crotch, and rubbed herself against his face. She panted at the jolt of pleasure that flowed throughout herself from rubbing her hard clit on the contours of his face and even more so when his tongue lavishly licked her pussy and clit.</p><p>Ming Xiao was taken off the stool by Nines lifting her by her thighs. His hard cock brushed against the entrance of her wet pussy, and she made a shuddering noise. A part of her desired to be impaled on his cock right now, but the other half wanted to be taken by Sebastian as well, perhaps have them both fuck her at the same time…</p><p>“Where do you wanna do this?” Nines asked, his voice strained with arousal, the head of his cock mindlessly rubbing against her pussy.</p><p>She gazed down at Sebastian, who had now unzipped his trousers and taken his cock out and was hurriedly stroking along his length to near hardness. Ming Xiao caught his eyes and licked her lips, “I want Sebastian to have me on the counter,” she breathed.</p><p>“It would be my absolute pleasure,” Sebastian replied with barely contained joy in his voice.</p><p>“That’s real nice, I’ve always wanted to see how well Baby Carrot can fuck you…” Nines said cheekily as he brought Ming Xiao over to the countertop island, gently seating her onto it.</p><p>Ming Xiao leaned back on her elbows, spread her thighs open and looked sensually and lustfully at Sebastian. She bodily shook and panted when his fingers rubbed her clit in circular motions as he climbed onto the countertop island, looming over her. Sebastian kissed her passionately on the lips, his cock gently grazing against the lips of her pussy. Even though Ming Xiao’s view of Nines was blocked by Sebastian she could hear the sound of fabric hitting the tiled floor and his groans as presumably his hand pumped his own cock. She grew even more wet at the knowledge that he was enjoying seeing Sebastian pleasuring her.</p><p>As Sebastian kissed, licked and nibbled around Ming Xiao’s throat, his cock rubbed and teased her desperately hard clit before then gently pushing inside her. Ming Xiao let out a breath and wrapped a leg around Sebastian’s hip, her heeled foot pressing on his backside to encourage him to go deeper inside her.</p><p>Once his cock was fully inside her, Sebastian cupped her face, his eyes filled with adoration as he looked upon her, and he kissed her needfully and rough just as he began to thrust. Ming Xiao kissed him back as roughly and passionately, her hips pushing forward to meet every one of his thrusts. She felt her arousal strengthen at Sebastian’s increased pace. At Nines’ gruff moans, she panted in return, wanting more and more of this.</p><p>Cocking her head to the side, Ming Xiao could see Nines wasn’t just roughly jerking his cock but also pinching and twisting his nipple as well, his lips pulled into a goofy, lopsided grin when he was not groaning in pleasure. Ming Xiao squeezed herself around Sebastian at the sight of Nines, enjoying how the Ventrue fucked her with great enthusiasm, and yet also wanting more, as if somehow him fucking her on this flour-covered counter wasn’t naughty and dirty enough for how slutty she was feeling.</p><p>“Take me in my other hole, Sebastian!” Ming Xiao said unconsciously as she moaned. Sebastian peered at her with brief confusion. Not surprising, as she had never asked him to take her that way before, nor had he ever asked to either. It wasn’t out of any issues on either part, it just hadn’t ever come up; Sebastian was the one who usually wanted to be fucked anally.</p><p>Though the confusion didn’t last long on Sebastian’s face and his lips quickly broke into a smile. “But of course, ma chérie!” he said and quickly dug through his pockets, taking out the small bottle of lube and gently pulling out his cock. She felt so empty and needy, the desire to be filled again almost overriding all her thoughts.</p><p>“Hey, let me get a taste of that before you fuck her in the ass…” Nines stated hungrily and he turned Sebastian around and bent his head down to suck onto the tip of his cock. Sebastian moaned sharply, gripping onto Nines’ hair, pushing his head down to take in more.</p><p>Ming Xiao licked her lips at the sight of them and moved her fingers to rub her clit quickly. She moaned with a pant, her pussy growing wetter and her clit harder and more stimulated. She wanted Sebastian to fuck her anally, she wanted Nines to fill her pussy with his thick cock. “I’ve changed my mind, I want you both inside me at the same time!”</p><p>Both Sebastian and Nines looked at Ming Xiao with surprise for the second time this evening, but their confusion was quickly replaced with gleeful smiles. Nines pulled off Sebastian’s cock with a pop to turn to her and grin widely, “Oh yeah? Well sit your ass on Baby Carrot’s dick first,” he said, giving Sebastian’s backside a pat and pushing him towards Ming Xiao again.</p><p>“Don’t rush me, I have to work her open first!” Sebastian scolded.</p><p>Ming Xiao shook her head, “Actually, I can make that hole open enough for you to take me!” She focused for a few seconds, relaxing enough to use her Flesh Shintai to help her anus open up sufficiently for a cock of Sebastian’s size.</p><p>Sebastian’s eyes widened, “Incredible, I had never thought you could ever do something so amazing!”</p><p>“To be fair, we should have considered that to be a possibility when she can stretch out her arms like Plastic Man!” Nines chuckled.</p><p>“Alright, that’s quite enough! You are both supposed to take care of me, not gawk at a simple trick that any young Kuei-jin with my discipline can do!” Ming Xiao grumbled, feeling her patience fraying heavily, she just wanted to be taken again so badly.</p><p>Both Nines and Sebastian gave Ming Xiao apologetic looks as well as saying “Sorry,” in unison, which all three of them laughed at. Well, how could she not, it was rather cute. Regardless, Ming Xiao then looked at Sebastian pointedly, showing that she wanted him to get on with it.</p><p>With some giddiness in his eyes, Sebastian quickly cracked open the cap of the bottle of lube, squirting some on his hand and spreading it down his length. Nines came up behind Sebastian and passionately kissed him while unbuttoning his shirt and undoing his belt, pushing his trousers down, revealing the smooth, pale and yet firm skin underneath that the Brujah feverishly caressed for a few moments before then pushing the Ventrue back towards her.</p><p>Sebastian only gave a mock huff of annoyance at Nines, his wide grin belying the utterance. He then climbed on the countertop island, this time beside Ming Xiao. She promptly turned on her side, her backside brushing against the cold wetness of Sebastian’s lubed-up cock, and she smoulderingly gazed over her shoulder at him, anticipation of being taken like this arousing her further.</p><p>Ming Xiao licked her lips and kept her eyes on Sebastian’s as he pulled her close to him, wrapping an arm around her waist and carefully inserting his cock past her rim. She sighed, feeling the brief burning stretch of his cock filling her, but soon felt her pussy become more wet, her clit hardening and throbbing with need. Once his cock was fully inside, Sebastian kissed Ming Xiao’s neck and asked in a whisper if this felt good. She craned her neck to kiss him back and then said breathlessly, “Yes, now fuck me!”</p><p>Grasping onto her hip, Sebastian thrust inside her, slowly at first, until she squeezed her hole around his cock and demanded he take her faster and harder. He snapped his hips, fucking her ass so relentlessly that Ming Xiao’s moans were harsh and breathy, her hand clawing onto his hair. Sebastian growled filthily in French, “I love seeing you like this, ma chérie, losing yourself to Nines and me, as much as I love having you dominate us! It is such a treat for us to see you allowing yourself to let go and losing yourself to our kisses, our mouths and fingers between your legs, and the feel of our cocks inside you! I cannot wait for Nines to have you too, to wonderfully spoil you by giving you everything you want! I always want to give you everything you want, ma chérie!” The last part of the sentence sounded so tender and earnest that it made a myriad of emotions flow throughout Ming Xiao.</p><p>But before she could wrap her head around those feelings, Ming Xiao felt Nines’ hand gently stroking her cheek, her breasts and thighs, “You ready for me now?” he asked, his hardened cock rubbing against her desperate clit, making her gasp. If her sexual pleasure was that heightened from being fucked in the ass by Sebastian and having her clit briefly rubbed by Nines’ cock at the same time, then she was more than looking forward to how it would be when he fucked her pussy.</p><p>Ming Xiao turned to Nines’ smiling face, wrapped a leg around his hip and brought a hand down to guide his cock inside her. “Of course, and you’ve kept me waiting for too long.”</p><p>“Oh yeah? Well, I sort of remember seeing you being too lost in being fucked in the ass by Sebastian’s Baby Carrot dick to issue any commands…”</p><p>Sebastian chuckled proudly, clearly, he was pleased with his own performance so far, Ming Xiao didn’t bother rolling her eyes, Nines was right in many respects in this case.</p><p>“Very well, you have a point but please get on with it!” Ming Xiao said impatiently before sighing gratefully as Nines took over pushing his cock inside her.</p><p>With how wet she was now, his thick cock went in easily. He leant his face against hers, his eyes fluttering as he pushed inside to the hilt. Ming Xiao felt herself shiver heavily at how completely filled by both Sebastian and Nines she was now, even more so when she felt the slide of their cocks in time with each other inside her.</p><p>At first, they started slow and gentle, both men kissing Ming Xiao’s lips and throat. It felt so wonderful, but she could feel the undercurrent of their hunger and need to fuck her senseless, and she deeply desired for them to do so. “Come on, take me harder than this! I’m your little wanton slut to fuck however you wish!” she cried out and then kissed them both back with biting passion, clawing at both men’s hips to encourage them to take her quicker and rougher.</p><p>“Oh fuck! Damn, you are so wet! Don’t worry, we’ll fuck you harder!” Nines grunted, his thrusts quickening.</p><p>“Oui, we’ll make you feel good!” Sebastian agreed breathlessly, as he followed suit.</p><p>One of the things Ming Xiao did appreciate about Sebastian and Nines was their ability to not waste her time when involved in fulfilling her needs. She moaned deeply as she felt both of their cocks slam into her at the same time, for a second she thought she was going to come right there, it felt so amazing. Ming Xiao squeezed around them, enjoying the incredible feel of the well-timed thrusts from both Sebastian and Nines, the feel of their hands groping her breasts and thighs, their demanding lips claiming her mouth.</p><p>It was so good that Ming Xiao raked Nines’ chest and Sebastian’s thigh so hard that it drew blood. She could sense the bountiful chi that flowed through their Cainite blood. It made her hunger grow strong and she shamelessly licked her fingers, tasting their power. Though she was far from the only one, as she soon felt the brief pain of sharp pin pricks, two sets of fangs piercing her throat before a wave of overwhelming pleasure clouded her already sex-filled mind.</p><p>Not only was she sandwiched between Sebastian and Nines as they fucked her so well, all for her benefit, but also being fed on by two Cainites brought Ming Xiao to the very edge of coming. The affect was beyond overwhelming. Nothing, absolutely nothing existed for her outside of this pleasure and bliss. It was more potent than being on the strongest opioids. At least it was until she began to come down slowly after Nines and Sebastian pulled their fangs off and licked the bite marks away. Now she became more sleepy but very satisfied.</p><p>And also, sticky, wonderfully sticky, it seemed while she was overcome by bliss she had orgasmed, and from the feel of Sebastian’s and Nines’ softening cocks inside her and the semen slowly leaking out, they had also come as well. Ming Xiao lifted her heavy eyelids, seeing Nines and Sebastian grinning sleepily at her and each other, she couldn’t help but smile back. She didn’t remember the last time she had ever felt so content and safe as she did in this moment.</p><p>It had been so long ago, but she was still too blissful to even feel sad about the fact.</p><p> </p><p>All three of them laid on top of the island countertop in a blissful haze as they held each other, Ming Xiao’s head resting on Nines’ chest, his fingers threading through her hair, Sebastian clinging onto her from behind. Both men cocks were still inside Ming Xiao, keeping her wonderfully full, and despite the beginnings of discomfort brewing, neither of them wanted to move an inch. They stayed like that for an indeterminate amount of time but long enough to hear the sunproof shutters come down over the giant windows and know that dawn must be on its way.</p><p>“Oh shit, the dawn’s coming, we better get to bed,” Nines said with a yawn. Sebastian sleepily nodded in agreement, and Ming Xiao grumbled as she felt them shift and pull themselves out of her, leaving her feeling momentarily empty before then being lifted up by the both of them. Her dress and heels were removed and tossed to the ground.</p><p>Ming Xiao shivered as their hands quickly dusted the flour off her naked body, but even more so when Nines and Sebastian carried her to the bathroom and into the shower with them. Even though she was more alert than either of them, she allowed herself to become boneless in their arms as they washed her. Once she was nicely clean, both men wrapped Ming Xiao up in a thick and warm towel like a burrito and brought her to the bedroom.</p><p>The bedroom itself thankfully wasn’t quite as bland as she had imagined. The walls were still painfully that awful off-white colour, but there were at least a few paintings of couples making love, and the dark olive-green and golden-threaded swirling-patterned bedsheets and pillowcases added a splash of colour to the room. And the yellow light from the bedside lamp brought some warmth.</p><p>She was laid down in the middle of the king-sized bed, the mattress so comfortable that she almost fell asleep right then and there. But Ming Xiao fought off the tiredness for as long as it took for Nines and Sebastian to go either side of her and snuggle close. The last thing she remembered before sleep finally overtook her was her Cainites kissing her passionately on the lips, and her heart tightening at the thought of ever having to let them go.</p><p> </p><p>Ming Xiao awoke, her eyelids briefly fluttering until she reminded herself that she shouldn’t reveal how awake she now was, it was an advantage for them to think she was like them, although the rules that governed the Cainites’ slumber didn’t apply to the Kuei-jin in the same way. Apparently, it was how connected a Kindred was to their humanity that dictated at what hour of the night they would awaken. And it was no surprise that someone so soft-hearted as Nines was the first one up the moment the sun set. Sebastian, on the other hand, usually awoke around an hour or so later.</p><p>She could still feel the weight of the Brujah pressed against her, stroking her cheek with the gentlest touch of his thumb. Sebastian was still deathly asleep, his head resting on her chest and his icy cold arms wrapped around her. Ming Xiao was trapped, tender as it was by them, and yet this did not bother her. For a little while longer she would not have to go back to being the leader and endure any reactions of displeasure due to her decisions. She would pretend to wake up when Sebastian eventually did, but right now she would continue to lay between them and enjoy the silence.</p><p>When Nines’ thumb brushed against Ming Xiao lips, she wondered briefly if he was going to kiss her, but then he said something that almost gave her a start. “Damn it, what’s wrong with me?” Nines said, taking his hand away from her face, “I should just- just go, I gotta get back-” She could feel him pull away from her, and the mattress shift as he stood up. “Fuck, I-I goddamn it!”</p><p>Ming Xiao’s eyes fluttered for a second before she remembered to keep them shut. The urge to go up to Nines and ask him what was wrong was terribly strong. Whatever his internal crisis, he would have to sort it out on his own while she took mental notes, even if it made her gut twist with guilt.</p><p>Nines paced around the room before gently slamming his fist into a nearby wall. “I can’t believe it, I know you two are some of the most selfish, manipulative, scheming assholes I’ve ever met, but- but goddamn it, you ain’t the worse I’ve ever known!”</p><p>She couldn’t help but grin, considering Nines’ morals, though she then wondered who could be worse than Sebastian or herself. <em>Someone who has done worse than hurt her own people for her own gain…</em> Her grin fell, and her heart tightened. It wasn’t just for her own gain, it was necessary that she do everything possible to win this war. And yet, there was that doubt again.</p><p>“But maybe you’re becoming better people working with me, or rather, I’m seeing more of your good sides…” Nines chuffed incredulously, his feet padding closer, and she felt the weight on the bed shift as he climbed back in. “Or maybe, compared to the Sabbat, you and Sebastian look like saints.”</p><p>His fingers caressed Ming Xiao’s cheek, she could feel his piercing, fiery blue eyes staring down at her. “Or I’m becoming like you both, lying and scheming to reach my ambitions. Turns out, wanting the Anarchs to thrive in LA again counts as an ambition…” Nines sounded so sad voicing that realisation about himself. His hand then moved to hold and squeeze hers. “I wanted to be better than the other Barons and Princes but I’m starting to wonder if Jeremy had the wrong idea, that the movement does need a-a l-” he stopped himself from saying more, not ready to admit another revelation tonight.</p><p>He linked their hands together. “Fuck, I don’t know! All I know is that for these past few weeks we’ve been doing more for Los Angeles than we have for the past five years, just by attacking the Sabbat alone!”</p><p>Ming Xiao unconsciously squeezed his hand, wanting to provide some level of comfort to him, but thankfully he did not seem to notice nor care. Perhaps he thought she was doing it in her sleep reflexively.</p><p>“And that- we… I don’t know, or I don’t want to know, but this thing between us three? I don’t want to put a label on it, but it’s real, for however long it’ll last…” Nines’ voice became filled with a mixture of emotions, sadness, anger and relief, “But I won’t pretend anymore, I need to say this, even if I can never say this to you two while you’re awake. I suppose that should clue me in there’s something wrong with that, but fuck it…”</p><p>She willed herself still, knowing that she could not spoil this chance to confirm that she had Nines roped in, that he was in love- “I hate you two so much, but damn it, we seem to fit so well, that I don’t want to see you and Sebastian gone!”</p><p>And then she had to do the stupid thing and laugh at the absurdity of his statement or rather confession to her. Once Ming Xiao stopped laughing, a silence fell over them both and she opened her eyes to see Nines surprisingly smiling at her.</p><p>“Thought you’d never stop pretending to be asleep,” Nines said with a chuckle, his fingers twirling around her hair.</p><p>Dumbfounded, Ming Xiao could feel her mind rejecting this plot twist that she was suddenly experiencing. How did he know, it wasn’t like she had been doing a bad job at acting asleep, right? But the reality of the situation sunk in, and Ming Xiao angrily pushed his hand away and glared at Nines, “Excuse me, what?”</p><p>“Baby Carrot told me that he’s caught you pretending to sleep for a while now, and by the way, he’s pretending too!” Nines explained, before nudging Sebastian, who let out an annoyed grunt, then a yawn and squeezed Ming Xiao tighter.</p><p>“I do have other tricks up my sleeve, ma chérie,” Sebastian said smugly.</p><p>“Mind telling me what ‘trick’ you are referring to for finding me out?” Ming Xiao asked sharply, feeling angry that they had not only tricked her at all but also the fact she had fallen for it! It explained why she’d yet to glean anything useful, but at the same time, she began to realise that both Nines and Sebastian had possessed the advantage over her and yet they had wasted it on some silly prank! Why? And why was Sebastian awake at the same time as her, had he been pretending too? “Actually, scratch that, why would you reveal that you’ve known all this time?” Ming Xiao cried out and then poked Sebastian hard, which had him mockingly pout at her, “And have you been pretending to be sleeping the whole time?”</p><p>Sebastian chuckled as he sat upright and reached over to the nightstand to grab the alarm clock, “Oh no, I have not, it’s just that you were sound asleep for much longer than I! See, you overslept for at least an hour!”</p><p>Ming Xiao’s eyes bulged as she saw that indeed he was right but that didn’t stop her from practically leaping out of bed to look for her dress and check her cellphone. The kitchen no longer looked like a flour and melted chocolate bomb had hit it, as it had been spotlessly cleaned. Retrieving and digging through the pockets of her flour covered dress that had been tossed onto the stupid cream-coloured couch, she found that it was true that she had overslept an hour past sunset. <em>But why? I haven’t overslept like this in so long, not since that orgy back in- oh…</em></p><p>Her loud hysterical laughter from the realisation that Sebastian and Nines had fucked her so well last night that she had ended up oversleeping, must’ve concerned them greatly, as they came running into the lounge area and knelt beside her.</p><p>Nines wrapped his arms around Ming Xiao, his eyes and voice filled with concern, “Hey, look we weren’t trying to fuck you around, I just wanted us to be honest with each other.”</p><p>“And don’t say that you would’ve told us if we had asked you, we know better than that,” Sebastian stated, taking her hands into his, “I know it was underhanded of us to catch you out with dramatics, but there was no other way as far we could see.”</p><p>She chuckled darkly. Yes, she knew that the truth wouldn’t have come out in any other way, she couldn’t begrudge them for that. However, she could still be irritated that she had fallen for the bait of Nines’ ‘heartfelt’ speech. “Of course, you both have played your parts well, I should commend you two for fooling me!” Ming Xiao leaned back against Nines’ chest and looked up at him, “Especially you, no wonder the young Cainites fall at your feet every night! You know how to play to your target’s feelings like a true master. One would think you had been honest!” The snideness in her voice clearly stung Nines, as his expression became so dejected, so much so that she found herself almost wishing she could take it back.</p><p>“I guess so,” Nines said with a heavy sigh as he let her go, standing up and walking away.</p><p>Sebastian’s lips pursed together tightly as he gave Ming Xiao a sharp look. “Was that necessary? Did that jab give back your lost pride?” he chided.</p><p>“Oh Sebastian, you would’ve done the same as me if you were in my position.” And that was another thing that made her feel bad, that she was reacting with her hurt emotions rather than playing it smart.</p><p>The Ventrue bared his fangs out of hurt pride until she laughed at him, and then he just sighed. “But even so, we have him, Ming, everything he said was true, I could see it in his aura! I merely indulged his need for transparency!”</p><p>“You could have told me that this was going to happen, it was extremely discourteous of you!” Ming Xiao shouted angrily, pulling her hands out of Sebastian’s, as if the lack of courtesy on Sebastian’s part was the worst that had happened to her. It could have been much worse, they could have staked her when she least expected it, but again, they had merely pulled a prank on her to catch her out. Was that the reason she was so upset, aside from the thought everything Nines had said was false? That they didn’t take the chance to rid themselves of her, instead had her reveal her deception, because they cared about her?</p><p>“Believe me, he would’ve known something was up if you had reacted in any other way,” Sebastian looked briefly pained for a second before he continued, “Although yes, we should have confronted you about your pretend sleeping, it was what Nines had wanted to do, but I insisted that you wouldn’t have admitted to the truth even with glaring evidence presented.”</p><p>“I suppose not,” Ming Xiao relented, her annoyance lessening, “But you are sure that he meant everything he said?”</p><p>“Yes, he did. We have him, just as we will have the city,” Sebastian then quickly added, “Though we hardly need to possess Nines like a pet, we can have everything we want together!”</p><p>“You do remember the part where he seems to think what we have might not last, Sebastian. That implies that he feels that he has to get rid of us!”</p><p>Sebastian grasped Ming Xiao’s shoulders, “He won’t, didn’t you listen to him? Nines is finally understanding that he has to be a real leader to get anything done! We can guide him and rule this city with the three of us!”</p><p>Ming Xiao swallowed. It could be true, but she got the impression that Nines wasn’t quite ready to admit that the Anarchs needed a leader like Sebastian assumed. Truthfully, she thought he was jumping the gun. Yet perhaps they could, as he said, guide Nines into accepting a leadership role, if they were careful and took their time, he would come around. All Nines needed was a little encouragement.</p><p>She flicked away as much of the flour from her dress as possible, but sadly it still clung. Ming Xiao groaned and thrust the dress in Sebastian’s face, “You both did such a lovely job with the kitchen and yet neither of you could be bothered to clean my dress?”</p><p>Sebastian sighed, took the dress from her hand and presented to her without comment the care tag which stated in clear English, <strong><em>‘Dry clean only.’</em></strong></p><p>Chewing on her inner cheek, Ming Xiao just quickly said her apologies to Sebastian and took her dress back. Thankfully, she was able to shape shift into anything she wished otherwise she would have the unfortunate task of having to explain to the more prying members of her Wu how she got those flour stains. She didn’t need more embarrassment tonight.</p><p>Tossing the dress aside, Ming Xiao, with a sigh, stood up, “I’m going to talk to Nines, do you wish to come with me, Sebastian or shall I talk with him alone?”</p><p>“I would love to, but I think it would be best if you did talk with him alone. I’m afraid that I would be too distracting, as I would love to repeat last night…” As if to prove his point, Sebastian stood up and brought an arm around Ming Xiao, pulling her close and pressing a kiss onto her lips. She kissed back passionately, her hands grasping his hips and backside, enjoying hearing his moans in response. Sebastian, with some clear reluctance, gave Ming Xiao one last kiss on her lips and then her knuckles and pulled away. “And besides, we didn’t properly feed you your meal last night, I’ll be getting it ready while you have your talk with Nines.”</p><p> </p><p>Ming Xiao found Nines standing by the pool, his muscular naked body bathed in the moonlight and his fiery blue eyes filled with self-conflict as he stared off into the distance. Clearly, he was still troubled by the venomous words she had spat out in anger about him knowing how to play to a crowd. Trying to ignore the squeeze on her heart, she walked up beside him, silently waiting for him to acknowledge her presence. Ming Xiao knew that words of encouragement weren’t what Nines wanted to hear, that would work for Sebastian; the Brujah however, certainly got enough of that from his starstruck followers. All Nines ever wanted when he had self-doubt was an open ear to confide in.</p><p>She gazed up at the moon and stars, from here they were actually visible for once and beautiful. Ming Xiao sighed as she felt Nines’ hand touch her arm and she turned to him, seeing his sorrowful expression. “I’m sorry, it was wrong of me to go along with Sebastian’s idea, I should have pushed to confront you more, but-”</p><p>“But you know me better than that, Nines, I’m still a little irritated but not angry anymore and I have to admit,” Ming Xiao swallowed what was left of her pride, “impressed that the two of you caught me out.”</p><p>Nines gave her a small smile, “I guess, we did, huh? I still feel shitty about it, but if you’re going to say it’s water under the bridge, then I’ll let it go.”</p><p>Ming Xiao chuckled, “I didn’t say it was water under the bridge, I will get the two of you back some night,” she leaned close against Nines’ and whispered, “But don’t worry, it won’t be so terrible and you both might even like it…”</p><p>“Didn’t you already have Sebastian and I play bound slaves for the Empress last week?” he replied wryly.</p><p>She traced a finger around his chest, coyly pretending to think very hard before then saying, “Oh no, this will be much more intense, the question is, can you handle it? I know Sebastian can, but you, I have my doubts…”</p><p>He cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing against her bottom lip, “Sounds kinky, tell me more about it, and I’ll let you know if I can handle it.”</p><p>“Hmm… that would ruin the surprise, but I’ll tell you in detail later after you speak about what’s troubling your mind so much.” Again, Ming Xiao felt a stab of guilt when Nines’ face crumbled into a pained expression, but she also knew that they couldn’t ignore it forever or bury the issue either.</p><p>“Yeah, I guess, we better deal with the elephant in the room, huh,” Nines pulled away from her slightly to sit down cross-legged on the grass, his eyes drawn back to the moon. “Some of the things I said earlier wasn’t all bullshit, you know? Some of it was true…”</p><p>“Such as…?” she inquired, kneeling besides Nines and taking hold of his hand.</p><p>Nines bit his bottom lip, his eyes filled with both panic and sadness. “That Jeremy MacNeil was wrong the whole time, and we have been wasting decades denying that we even need a leader for the Movement in the first place!” he said with despair, “Oh God, if all three of us working together for the past few weeks is nearly wiping out the Sabbat, what could we achieve in ten years’ time? It keeps making me think that if Jeremy had just taken the leadership role after the revolt in ‘44, that the Anarchs could have already been living the dream of the Freestates, that things would be even better than they were before you-” Nines stopped himself, his hand squeezing hers almost painfully, but she didn’t allow him to see her discomfort.</p><p>“Before the Kuei-jin came and showed us how much we didn’t have it together, I thought everything was the best it could get, but you showed us otherwise. Showed us that even long-term ‘allies’ can turn their back on the Anarchs and make deals with our enemies when the going gets tough! I hated them so much, that once this was all over, I would’ve strangled them until their heads popped off!” The bitterness in Nines’ voice was palpable, the fire in his blue eyes burned brightly before then simmering down again. “And now, I know I’m no better, that I’m just as dirty, if not worse than them, I’m a hypocrite. I said I’d never be like them, call myself Baron or make secret deals with my enemies but here I am, spending time at a high-class villa and fucking with a Camarilla Prince and a Kuei-jin Ancestor… and…I-”</p><p>Ming Xiao leaned her head against Nines’ shoulder and wrapped her free arm around his neck. He let go of her hand and placed a hand on the small of her back. “I announced that I was taking the position of Baron of Downtown, gave a big speech how ‘this was all for the good of everyone, to show the Camarilla that we weren’t fucking around when the time came for us to take a stand against them once the Sabbat were out of the way, and they ate it all up! All that bullshit and they just ate it without question! I could have told them that I was going to declare praxis and make myself Prince, and they still would have swallowed it!” Nines spat out that last sentence with pure disgust, balling his hand into a tight fist.</p><p>Ming Xiao now understood that her angry words hadn’t just attacked Nines’ fears but rather rubbed salt in the wound about how fanatical his followers were, how they just hung on his every word without question. This was a man who didn’t know or want to admit that he had that kind charismatic power but now he was having this reality thrown in his face. And being forced to face this truth was crushing him.</p><p>“I hate them,” he sobbed, “I hate how they claim that they are free rebels, not wanting to be constrained by the oppression of the Elders of the Cam, but hear one pretty speech and they fall at my feet just like that!” He snapped his fingers for emphasis, his fangs gnashing angrily.</p><p>She took his clenched hand and soothingly massaged it open. “You gave them hope, Nines. They were scared and afraid that they would have no choice but to fall in line with the Camarilla, but you stood up and showed by example that you would not bend, and so they were inspired to not bow down as well.”</p><p>“But I did bend in the end, Ming, I made a deal with you and Sebastian, I’m not the hero they think I am. If they knew-” Nines choked, “Oh God, if they knew about this,” he clutched her hand, “They would see me for the piece of shit I’ve now become!” He then turned to Ming Xiao, resolve painted on his face, “And the worst part is, I’d do it all again. If I have to take on a little of your scheming and manipulative ways for you and Sebastian to have even an inch of goodness in you, then I’ll do it.”</p><p>Ming Xiao frowned in confusion for a moment before remembering that he had said he thought they were improving while working together with him… she had to admit, perhaps he had infected her with some sense of guilt or doubt in her plans with his dreams of a better society for both the Kindred and the Kuei-jin, but even so, how could he say that she was becoming as kind-hearted and naive as he was? “I’m afraid that I don’t quite understand what you are getting at Nines.”</p><p>Nines laughed, his finger tapping on Ming Xiao’s nose, “I’m not naïve or stupid enough to think you and Sebastian are saints, but I have seen you both start to care a little about mortals’ lives.”</p><p>“We were merely being practical, there is no need to waste mortals’ lives if we can help it, after all we both feed off the living, and the masquerade would be terribly broken!” she said defensively, “Only a true monster and idiot would recklessly kill humans without a care for the consequences!”</p><p>“I never said either you or Sebastian were murderous dumbasses, but I have noticed that you both talk less callously in regard to human lives. Don’t get me wrong, you two are still the kind of scum that I shouldn’t even care about, but-”</p><p>“But you do.”</p><p>He pressed his forehead against hers and said softly, “I suppose so, but I still hate you, I can’t forgive what you’ve done, and I despise Sebastian a lot less now, since in hindsight, his arrival only made some of the others jump ship like rats. I get it now, they knew it was sinking and they didn’t want to die for nothing, but still I say, fuck them, they could’ve found a way to help the Anarchs in the long run.”</p><p>“Like you have.”</p><p>Nines shook his head vigorously, “Not quite, I know they made deals, but was it for everyone in the movement? No, it was purely for their own interest! What I’m doing with you two is different.”</p><p>“We’re trying to build something better for Los Angeles,” Ming Xiao stated before then holding his face and softly kissing him on the lips.</p><p>This did feel nice, but it somehow seemed wrong to be having this discussion without Sebastian, it was practically a love confession, and leaving the Ventrue out made her feel bad. “Nines, perhaps we should go inside to continue our discussion? Sebastian should be finished serving up the meal you both made for me.”</p><p>The Brujah nodded and chuckled, “I guess so, if I’m saying all the stupid shit that’ll fuck me over in the end, it’s only fair Baby Carrot gets to hear too!” He placed a hand on the back of Ming Xiao’s shoulders and the other underneath her knees to lift her up bridal style. She laughed, reflexively wrapping her arms around his neck, trying to ignore the sudden buzz of joy at being picked up by him.</p><p>As Nines carried Ming Xiao back towards the house, Sebastian had just come outside to lay cutlery and plates on the table near the pool. The Ventrue Prince was now dressed in a white tuxedo jacket with a red rose in the lapel, black trousers and shoes. When he spotted them coming over, his icy blue eyes lit up, and he gestured at the table with a slight bow, “Table for two, I presume?” he asked smoothly, his voice barely hiding his desire.</p><p>“Nah, drop the plan we had, it’s table for three tonight,” Nines stated as he gently placed Ming Xiao in a nearby chair and pushed her in. Again, this never failed to make her feel elated.</p><p>“Of course, shall I bring out the first course?” Sebastian asked with a big grin, as he placed down a lit candle in the centre of the table.</p><p>“No, you will bring all the courses right now, I will not dine tonight like a Westerner!” Ming Xiao demanded in an admittedly childish way, but even so, it was tiring to have to wait for her courses in restaurants sometimes, and she was excited to finally be able to try what Nines and Sebastian had made for her last night. “Oh, and if you have any, I would like some wine as well.”</p><p>“But of course! We only have red wine available, would that be suitable? It was meant to be served with your steak ,but well…” he trailed off, biting his lip in embarrassment, and glanced Nines’ way, who only playfully flipped the bird at him in response. Sebastian rolled his eyes at him but smiled widely, nonetheless. “I’ll be right back with the wine and food.”</p><p>Once Sebastian had left them alone, Nines hauled an extra chair, placing it directly on her right, and took a seat. Ming Xiao felt something warm bloom inside when he turned to her with a smile and kissed her chastely on the cheek. “I think you’ll like the Caesar salad, we made the sauce ourselves and everything!” he said proudly.</p><p>While there was a warmth growing within Ming Xiao, there was also a cold, breeding sense of panic that only heightened when she tried to deny this simple gesture. The brightness in his eyes and the reminder of the fact Nines and Sebastian had gone out of their way to make her a meal last night meant something to her. They had really begun to mean something to her.</p><p>It got worse when Sebastian came back with the food and wine. She was now able to smell the different flavours and spices of the savoury dishes, practically taste the rich chocolate encased in the no doubt buttery pastry crust and the fruity notes of the red wine as he poured her a glass. Her heart strangely started beating fast, the sound almost deafening, as Sebastian sat on the chair to her left and leaned over to gently brush his lips against hers, “Bon appétit, ma chérie,” he whispered in her ear before placing another kiss on her cheek.</p><p>“Thank you,” was all Ming Xiao was able to muster, as she felt horribly speechless all of a sudden. She picked up the fork and took a stab at what was presumably the Caesar salad, it was leafy greens with croutons, shaved parmesan and dressing mixed together. Getting a little of everything on her fork, she tasted it and after chewing for a bit, she found with dismay that she could barely detect any flavour besides the parmesan and perhaps a bit of vinegar from the dressing but overall found it to be awfully bland. Had she lost her sense of taste? Had this sudden panic robbed her of one of the pleasures of the mortal realm?</p><p>Or was she overreacting, and it was just as simple as both Nines and Sebastian had forgotten an ingredient or two, such as salt and pepper? “Did either of you taste the sauce by any chance?” she asked tactfully.</p><p>Both Nines’ and Sebastian’s faces dropped, their excitement replaced with horror of the realisation of what she suspected. Given that they were both Kindred and generally unable to consume food, they had forgotten a particularly important rule of thumb when it came to cooking, always taste as you go.</p><p>“I suppose you didn’t,” Ming Xiao said with a chuckle before immediately feeling a little bad for laughing and shoved another forkful of the salad inside her mouth. Sadly, the second bite was just as bland, not bad, or outright disgusting, but disappointingly bland.</p><p>Sebastian swiftly took the salad away from her and replaced it with the plate of spicy-smelling greens, “You needn’t suffer for our failings, ma chérie. Perhaps this would be more to your liking…” he stated with a nervous smile.</p><p>Nines quickly added, “Just a disclaimer here, we didn’t taste that either, but I’m sure we remembered to put all the spices in this time.”</p><p>“Let us hope so,” Sebastian breathed as he chewed on his lip and watched Ming Xiao take the first bite.</p><p>But he hadn’t anything to worry about, the spices and garlic came alive on Ming Xiao’s taste buds, and she made pleased noises as she chewed. Needless to say, the spiced greens didn’t last very long. Both Nines and Sebastian sighed with relief. “I have to say that was rather tasty.” She didn’t add that it would’ve been even better if the steak hadn’t been burned to ash. “What other delicious side dishes do you have for me?”</p><p>Nines and Sebastian at the same time brought two small bowls within her reach. The one was filled with buttery and garlicky mashed potatoes, and the other was sweet-smelling roasted baby carrots. “By the way, I made the honey-roasted baby carrots, I hope it reminds you of the taste of our very own Baby Carrot here!” Nines joked with a wink. Sebastian scowled and huffed at him in return.</p><p>“We shall have to see,” Ming Xiao mused softly, dying to get tucked in. She took in a big spoonful of the mashed potatoes and found that while the garlic and butter flavour was very much present and the mash itself was rather creamy, it was missing a sprinkle of salt and pepper. “Mmm… nice but do you have the salt and pepper shak-”</p><p>She didn’t even have a chance to finish her sentence as Sebastian quickly rushed out of his seat, knocking the chair over, and ran back into the house before returning with the salt and pepper shakers. “There you are, I’m so sorry, I’ll never take any recipe recommendations from my front desk security guard ever again!”</p><p>“Officer Chunk? What’s wrong with his taste buds that he would think that would have enough salt and pepper in it?” Nines asked with amusement. “Oh, don’t tell me he’s on a diet now?”</p><p>“Actually, it was his sister-in-law’s recipe that he had on this year’s Thanksgiving, and he had to simply share it with everyone, since it was the ‘best’ all round!” Sebastian replied and sulkily crossed his arms.</p><p>Nines gently shoved Sebastian’s shoulder, “Are you sure that you hadn’t just forgotten to put the salt and pepper in again? I’m pretty sure that Officer Chunk has pretty discerning taste buds, I mean the guy spent an hour telling me about the various donut flavours you can buy and what places to avoid!”</p><p>Ming Xiao giggled as she sprinkled some salt and pepper on the mash, remembering that she had had a similar encounter with this Officer Chunk. Although sadly, he had been less forthcoming with any suggestions of the best places to eat in Los Angeles, not that she had asked. Rather he had seemed simultaneously frightened by and attracted to her, from the clumsy way he had been trying to ask her out for a drink. Well, until Sebastian had come down and made it very clear that she belonged to him, which at the time had both annoyed, and she supposed, amused her.</p><p>“Ughh, alright, maybe I forgot again!” Sebastian cried out, throwing his arms in the air, before then remembering himself. “Err… I’m sorry ma chérie, I do hope it wasn’t too awful for your tastes,” he said apologetically.</p><p>She showed Sebastian the empty bowl. “It was lovely when the right amount of salt and pepper was added, please don’t beat yourself up, you have done rather well. Yours and Nines’ inability to actually taste the food you are cooking makes it all so difficult for you two, and I do appreciate the effort you both have gone to for me.”</p><p>Ming Xiao felt the warm blooming grow stronger when Nines and Sebastian gratefully smiled at her, almost suppressing the panic building up again. Almost.</p><p>Willing herself to keep her hands from shaking, she began to dig into the honey-roasted carrots, enjoying the savoury and sweet taste. Again, a shame that the steak hadn’t survived, but even so, she was treated and spoiled so well by these two that she didn’t mind.</p><p>And the fact she hadn’t been treated this well in so long before entering this… relationship with Sebastian and Nines made her feel a great sadness within herself. The burgeoning and yet sinking feeling that she had made something wonderful with these Cainites grew, and the panicked need to run flashed in her brain. This was a mistake, whatever this was, and she had to get away for- for-</p><p>Ming Xiao breathed in, not letting herself give in to the panic, knowing that it would confuse Sebastian and Nines, and getting away from them wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to stay right here with them forever, and that thrilled and terrified her. Terrified, because she would have to admit that she had come to have feelings for them both, that no matter what happened, she couldn’t and wouldn’t lose them.</p><p>“So how are the carrots, are as they tasty as Sebastian here?” Nines asked smoothly, wrapping an arm around Sebastian and pulling him close. Ming Xiao’s heart squeezed again, so tightly that she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to hope that when the time came that they would go along with the New Promise Mandarinate, but she was sure there was a big chance that they wouldn’t. Nines’ followers certainly wouldn’t. Hearing that their Baron wanted to take on the New Promise Mandarinate might be what would shatter their rose-tinted glasses. But why couldn’t she go along with Dong’s idea? Perhaps once the Sabbat and the Camarilla were out of the way, the option to make peace would appeal to the Anarchs-</p><p>“Ming, are you okay?” Nines asked again, his voice filled with concern. He wasn’t the only one, Sebastian had come to Ming Xiao’s side and was asking her quietly what was wrong.</p><p>Everything was wrong, and Ming Xiao knew very well that she couldn’t tell them. Instead, the panic finally took over, and she suddenly got up from her seat, excusing herself, “My apologies, I have to use the bathroom.” Rushing past them, she ignored their confused questions as she ran into the house, despising the sudden tears pouring down her cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>Ming Xiao sat on the bathroom floor in the fetal position, trying to pull herself together, so that neither Nines nor Sebastian would see that she had sobbed like a little girl. It was humiliating for her to be brought down this way, and yet she knew it was not of their design but rather her denial of her feelings for them. Tai was right in that she had become attached to Sebastian and Nines, and now she was possibly going to compromise everything, all because she now didn’t want to let them go.</p><p>And it was sending her spiralling down. Nines was right that she was selfish, before she wouldn’t have cared less whether the Cainites could be enlightened or not, but now that she had come to care for two of them, suddenly this bloody war was out of the question.</p><p>Or maybe it had revealed how tired she was in this long campaign against the Anarchs, exhausted by the constant loses, the pressure of leading and everything she had done since arriving in America. She’d sunk herself into the comfort they had gifted to her willingly, losing her way, or perhaps it showed her that she had already forgotten her true purpose. But if stopping the Sixth Age by driving out, killing or enlightening the Cainites wasn’t her true purpose in this existence, then what was? Had she only been allowed to escape Yomi to endure more pain, suffer failures and heartbreaks for all of time?</p><p>She shook her head and stood up. Now really wasn’t the time to be going down that pit of despair, lest she encourage the P’o to snarl her demands. A loud knock on the bathroom door forced Ming Xiao to scramble for something to wipe her eyes. She had shown enough vulnerability tonight, thank you very much. Quickly drying her eyes and cheeks, she opened the door and found both Nines and Sebastian standing in the doorway, their faces filled with the concern she expected.</p><p>Ming Xiao knew that she couldn’t simply brush off what had happened, but she wasn’t quite ready to explain either. “I’m sorry, my going off had nothing to do with the food. I’ve enjoyed it immensely; it is something else that holds my concern.”</p><p>The vitae-created heat emanating from Sebastian’s and Nines’ hands as they took hold of hers, and the look of understanding in their eyes soothed her in ways she hadn’t experienced in so long. They knew why. Maybe neither of them had literally cried in the bathroom, but they had hidden their pain from their followers and subordinates, for they too could not show any sign of weakness. The last time she had felt so understood had been based on lies. Perhaps this was too, after all, they had tricked her into revealing herself earlier, but she doubted it. No-one could fake this feeling, she knew better now. Ming Xiao allowed herself to be embraced by both Nines and Sebastian, letting herself relax into this bliss. If there was anything she could do to keep them by her side forever, then she’d do it…</p><p> </p><p>They had moved into the lounge area and were snuggled together on the couch under a blanket. The stillness and being sandwiched between Nines and Sebastian as she listened to them talk, eased some of the anguish she had been experiencing. Eating the chocolate tart had been a big help too.</p><p>But it did not make everything better, rather it helped clear her mind, and she realised that she was neglecting her duties. Whatever happened next with the Sabbat, right now was not important. To delay the Sixth Age, the sarcophagus had to be destroyed or hidden away from Cainite hands. That was deeply crucial.</p><p>“I need to check my phone, if you two don’t mind…” Ming Xiao explained as she reluctantly climbed out of Nines’ and Sebastian’s hold.</p><p>Nines draped an arm around Sebastian’s shoulders. “That’s fine, I should be doing the same soon. Just because I’m the Baron of Downtown, doesn’t mean that I get to slack off.”</p><p>Sebastian’s lips split open into a fanged smile, “Ah yes, congratulations, Baron Rodriguez, I had never thought I’d ever see the night you’d take your rightful place as Baron!” he cooed before kissing Nines on the lips.</p><p>Ming Xiao found her cell phone, switched it on and was surprised to not find any new messages. Odd, either it had been quiet last night, or something had gone horribly wrong. Making a quick call put her fears to rest, all had been well last night and tonight thus far. Yet Ming Xiao couldn’t help but wonder if this was the calm before the storm. Would the last gasp of the Sabbat be damaging for them all despite their victory? Or was the Sabbat about to get their second wind? She wasn’t sure, perhaps a divining was in order once she got back to the temple. Hopefully, it would give her some sort of clue of what they could be up against.</p><p>One thing she did know, was that she had to deal with the sarcophagus first. Ming Xiao texted the appropriate number, sending the details for the arrangements for Gary Golden’s agent’s release. They would make it look like an opportunity had opened up for the fledgling to break into the Fu Syndicate and rescue the agent, after making sure all the evidence of any ties to the Kuei-jin had been wiped and all research on the Kindred backed up, of course.</p><p>Feeling lighter after sorting that out, Ming Xiao returned to her place between Nines and Sebastian, letting herself relax in their arms. “So, everything good with the Kuei-jin?” Nines asked.</p><p>She nodded with a smile. How nice, that was true for once.</p><p>Nines squeezed Ming Xiao’s hand gently. “Thought so. By the way, I’ve been telling Baby Carrot here about me becoming the Baron of Downtown, and he thinks, I should also be the Baron of the Va-”</p><p>Sebastian cut in, “It’s a good location, lots of potential to grow there and-”</p><p>Ming Xiao closed her eyes, listening to their bickering. She was sure it would get annoying on some nights, yet she wouldn’t be anywhere else in the world. As long as Sebastian and Nines held her in their arms, she was content.</p>
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